Geraldynn Leaupepe didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity.

Once the Camarillo High junior started receiving recruiting letters from college coaches, she immediately called them back.

Leaupepe wanted to know about more than just their schools and programs.

She wanted to know what she and her twin sister, Geralynn, needed to work on to be ready to play Division I basketball.

"They told us girls at that level work really hard in the offseason and find time to work on the fundamentals," Leaupepe said. "That is when we realized whenever we are not working out someone is working out to be better than us. It really made us want to find a gym and work hard to become better."

Leaupepe spent more time in the gym working on her game last summer than ever before.

The results were evident this season.

Combining the strength of a linebacker with the footwork of a ballerina, the 5-foot-9 Leaupepe tormented opposing defenses.

The Star's Girls Basketball Player of the Year averaged 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 steals 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game for Camarillo.

"Her growth this year was remarkable," Camarillo head coach Michaeltore Smith said. "I anticipated her getting better, but she got a lot better. She improved in every statistical category across the board. She got more rebounds. She scored more points. She was great."

It was exactly what Leaupepe had in mind while sweating through training sessions in the gym with her sister.

They wore weights around their wrists to improve their ball-handling skills and hoisted hundreds of shots each day to expand their range.

"We really pushed each other," Leaupepe said. "We would put up as many shots as we could each day and play one-on-one afterward. We also went and played pickup games with some of the boys at our church. That really helped."

Enhancing her skill set made Leaupepe nearly impossible to guard this season.

She could score around the basket or step outside to hit a midrange jumper. She could overpower a smaller guard or use her quickness to beat a slower forward.

"She is a nightmare," Smith said. "I have never seen so many zones in my coaching career as we did this season. Even some of the better teams like Mater Dei said she was nearly impossible to guard man-to-man. Teams had to double and triple-team her."

Since arriving at Camarillo, Leaupepe has helped the Scorpions reach new heights.

They captured the Pacific View League title outright for the first time in program history after claiming a share of their first title last season.

"What really stuck out is we were able to compete with any team no matter how good or bad they were this season," Leaupepe said. "We always came to play with heart and effort. I think our team wanted to be better than what Camarillo has been in the past."

Leaupepe still has one more season remaining to accomplish even more goals and set even more records at Camarillo.

She started her offseason work even earlier this year, and plans to spend even more time in the gym this summer.

"The scary part is there is still a lot of room for growth," Smith said. "The college coaches tell me all the time if she could shoot 3-pointers consistently there would be no way to really defend her. That is our goal in the next few months."